Episcopal Women’s Regional Conference held in Bethlehem

The Episcopal Women’s Regional Conference was held at the Manger Square Hotel in Bethlehem for the Episcopal women of the Galilee, Israel, West Bank and Jerusalem under the title “My Talent is My Present.” The two day conference took place on the 21st and 22nd of September, with over 50 in attendance, including English speaking Episcopal women.

Mrs. Shafeeqa Dawani, wife of Bishop Suheil Dawani, welcomed and encouraged the women at the conference to discover their talents and employ them in their churches, homes and society. “My talent is my present and a gift from God,” she said. She also spoke about the goals of the women’s movement in the Diocese.

Day One was led by two women speakers and leaders, Nora Carmi and Raeda Diam. The two subjects that were the focus of the first day were “Discover your talents which God gave you” and “How to amply and develop them.”

Day Two centered on true examples of women leaders in the church and society. The Mayor of Ramallah, Janette Michael; the principle of St. Joseph’s School, Shireen Mughanam; and Shireen Awad, a teacher in Beit Sahour were the speakers.

A tour of the Shepherd’s field was led by the Revd Ibrahim Nairouz, the consultant on the second day. All those in attendance were happy to see this special place and hear the timeless Christmas story. As the conference came to a close, Shafeeqa Dawani thanked all who helped to make this event a success, including the coordinators, consultants, music coordinator, photographer, interpreter, and the office employees in the Jerusalem Diocesan office. Mrs. Dawani gave special thanks to the speakers at the conference.

The coordinators in Jordan are working hard preparing for a one day workshop in Irbid at the end of October 2012. They are taking care of every detail in order to make this one day event a success, too.